What Makes Water Stay in Your Ears?
The feeling of water in your ears is uncomfortable and annoying. The most common way to get water in your ear is when you're swimming. In fact, if you get a bacterial ear infection from having water in your ear for too long, it's called "swimmer's ear," especially if the water came from a natural pond or lake where algae is present. Several factors can make it difficult to get water out of your ears.
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Ear Canal Shape
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Built to funnel sound into your ear drums, your ear canal has a cone-like shape, similar to cupping your hand over a microphone to direct your voice into the mic. The very first hearing aids, ear trumpets, worked on the same principle. At times, it can be water, instead of sound, that gets funneled and trapped in your ear. This is more apt to happen to people with small ear canals.
Ear Wax
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The buildup of ear wax can sometimes act like a dam that keeps the water inside your ear, even if you clean your ears everyday. Ear wax consists mostly of dead skin (about 60 percent) , as well as fatty acids and cholesterol. Thanks to your natural jaw movement, the wax slowly moves toward the outside of your ear.
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Physics
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Water has some unique properties compared to other chemicals. Solid water, or ice, floats, and water's surface tension means molecular bonds are stronger on the surface of water than inside it. When water nestles into a tight place, like an ear drum, this property of surface tension means it won't drain as easy as you would hope.
Pulling The Plug
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The common cure for water on the ear is to place a towel on your pillow and lay down on the wet ear. With a little patience, gravity will usually do the job. It might help to move your jaw as if you're eating (remember, this is the same action that slowly pushes ear wax out of your ear).
Medical Attention
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If the water is contaminated, it can cause an infection, called swimmer's ear (even if you got the water in your ear while standing on dry land.) The most common germ, Pseudomonas aeruginosa, to cause this infection is found in the soil and in water. Swimmer's ear symptoms include: a red or inflamed ear; ear pus; pain when moving your head or tugging the ear; and an itch within the ear. If you develop any of these symptoms, contact your physician.
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References
- Photo Credit closeup of a man ear in color image by Ana de Sousa from Fotolia.com
